The versatile Gordon, the preseason No. 1 pick among point guards, regained the top spot from Texas' D.J. Augustin after averaging 20.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists while leading the Bulldogs to wins over Alabama and Auburn.

Gordon had slipped to No. 6 in mid-December after the Bulldogs suffered five losses in non-conference play. But he has made a steady climb as the Bulldogs have won 11 of their past 13 games and now sit atop the SEC West with a 7-2 league mark.

Gordon ranks in the top 15 in the SEC in scoring (fifth at 18.1 ppg), assists (fifth at 4.7 apg), free-throw percentage (tied for 12th at 71.7 percent), rebounding (13th at 6.3 rpg) and field-goal percentage (14th at 44.5 percent).

One other top spot changed hands as Michigan State's Raymar Morgan returned to No. 1 at small forward. Morgan didn't have stellar stats this past week, scoring 10 points and dishing out three assists in the Spartans' 70-55 win over Northwestern. But the previous No. 1, Arizona's Chase Budinger, went just 1-for-12 from the field and was held to four points in the Wildcats' 59-54 loss at home to Arizona State.

The biggest jumps of the week came from Maryland's Greivis Vasquez and James Gist. Vasquez, who moved up to No. 7 at point guard, had 15 assists in Maryland's victory over N.C. State, the sixth win in seven games for the surging Terps. Gist, a senior, scored a career-high 30 points against the Wolfpack and consequently rose to No. 9 among the power forwards.

There also was a shakeup near the top of the shooting guard rankings, where Arizona freshman Jerryd Bayless moved up to No. 3. Bayless scored a career-high 39 points, falling just two points shy of the McKale Center record, in the loss to Arizona State.

Connecticut sophomore Hasheem Thabeet rose to No. 7 among the centers after his breakthrough performance in the Huskies' win over Georgia Tech. Thabeet scored a career-high 24 points, grabbed 15 boards and blocked six shots.

Arkansas' Sonny Weems makes a return to the power rankings at No. 21 among the small forwards after leading the resurgent Razorbacks on a four-game winning streak. Weems averaged 20.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in wins over LSU, Mississippi State, Florida and Ole Miss.

The rating of a player and coach can fluctuate each week during the season depending on how they fared the previous week, but the power rankings measure overall career performances as well as their most recent results.

By the end of the season, our power rankings should provide an accurate indicator of which players and coaches were the best at their respective positions.

By the end of the season, our power rankings should provide an accurate indicator of which players and coaches were the best at their respective positions.